Eight Reasons Why
by KuroCho Kuraiko
Summary: Kari Tsukumo doesn't feel the passion she used to when writing her articles. As her life seems to spiral downhill, she gets help from an unlikely source... Astral/Kari
1. The Piano That Played Itself

**Okay, so I know I still owe missminymuffin a new chapter of my Pokemon DP Episode 059 fic, but i kinda have a new idea here. They say laughter is the best medicine… but a good(?) fanfic is about to take that spot!**

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><p>Kari Tsukumo was the best newspaper writer in all of Heartland City. No one denied it, everyone read it. Her writing skills were good, no, great. Her passion exceled even her skills by a long shot. Yes, Kari Tsukumo was certainly amazing.<p>

One day, however, Kari finished off another article, signing it with her initials, KT… but she didn't feel the satisfaction she usually felt. Her articles were becoming harder to write than ever, she noticed. Nothing to do with time, really. She had time, heck, she was sorting Yuma's deck right now! But yet, she didn't enjoy finishing her articles as much as she should.

"How can one kid have so many versions of Utopia?" Kari asked herself as she tried to sort the multiple 39s. She'd already went through the idea of sorting by attack points first, deciding it wasn't right, then to sorting by rank. "What's this?" Kari pulled a misplaced piece of paper out from between Gagaga Magician and Girl, revealing it to be Tori's number. Not "Numbers" kind of number, but phone number. "Because that _certainly_ belongs in his extra deck!" She went back to arranging Yuma's cards repeatedly, noticing that one of the Utopias were gone. Utopia Roots, if she remembered their names correctly.

The grand piano! That's where it was, as Kari noticed the damn thing FLOATING by the middle C. The keys began moving out of what seemed to be their own volition. Kari recognised the tune. "Rolling Girl," a VOCALOID song by… wowaka? Yes, the keys were playing Rolling Girl. Now, about a month ago, Kari would pass this off as one of Yuma's friends playing a trick on her, likely Flip or something. But now she thought it was something with her. "Okay, Kari. When you look away, it'll be gone. I must be going crazy. That's it." Sure enough, the piano stopped playing, and Utopia Roots lay on the A# chord closest to the middle C. "It's only me, I guess…"

Oh, but the fun wasn't over yet! Kari's article minimized on her D-pad, and a new file opened. The D-pad started typing on it's own, starting with a polite-ish "Hi. I'm Astral. I… I'm one of Yuma's friends… a duelist… hi."

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><p><strong>How was it? Sorry if Kari's OOC, or if it's too weird, but this is what happens when I think a little too much, LOL! <strong>


	2. Meet Me There Tonight

**And here's more of the stuff that gushes from my brain! Enjoyee!**

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><p>Kari stared in awe at the D-pad. "Is this a joke?" The D-pad typed in response with a simple "Not really. Do you want it to be one?" A blue figure wearing a black hoodie appeared before Kari. "Hm. Well then. I didn't want to show up in my usual attire. Don't ask, please…" Astral smiled at the ground. "It seems something is bothering you. Care to explain?" Kari stared up at the floating blue man. "Not really, Astral…" Astral laughed at this. "You think I'm a hallucination, don't you?" A long silence followed.<p>

"I've seen your newspaper columns, Kari Tsukumo." Kari looked at Astral thoughtfully. "Okay, how about starting small. I heard you're Yuma's sister, is that correct?" "Yeah. He told you about how I wouldn't let him duel, right?" "Well, you probably had your reasons. Anyways, do you duel?" Astral laid his hand on the reporter's shoulder. "Not really. Not in the mood though." "Why not? It's a great way to get your mind off things, Miss Tsukumo. How about I teach you sometime?" "Like I said, not in the mood. Job's going downhill. Everything's plain boring..." After a pause, she added "Or awful." Astral smiled at her. "Meet me in the basement tonight… and I'll give you eight reasons why you should try your best in life. "Eight reasons, huh? Not Ninety-nine? Have you lost those again?" Kari smiled, returning to a fragment of her former self for even a few seconds.

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><p><strong>Well, there's another chapter. Kinda short, but I, at least, think it's cute. But not as cute as what's to come...<strong>


	3. Make Sure The Song Will Reach

**Astral sings in this chapter. You were warned, lol.**

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><p>Kari walked down the dull, dark, damp staircase, her face illuminated by a faint pink glow. The old box-like television was on, quietly playing Scarlett Starling's Take a Chance. Astral was singing along when it reached "Nothing will bring me down…" "Hey Astral!" "...When I Leave all my fears behind, my future's still…" Kari tried again. "Hello, there, Astral! What's been up since?" "...Take a chance and chase my doubts away, belivi- hm?" Astral looked up at Kari. "Welcome, Kari. Ready for those eight reasons?"<p>

"Come, please. It's not fair for you to stand when you could sit on the couch with me…" Kari joined Astral on the dark green, two-person couch, more of a loveseat, really. Astral turned off Miss Starling's commercial, and turned on another song, this one softer. "What song, Astral?" Astral smiled at Kari's question. He began to sing in Japanese, words that translated into something like the following.

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><p><em>You always just come up with an "Whatever..."<em>

_That wouldn't be a prelude for giving up, would it?_

_You laugh on your own dreams saying "That's impossible."_

_Would I be a moron for not laughing on that as well?_

_I guess it's my turn to sing to you this "song" that supported me, so..._

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><p>Astral smiled at Kari again, and secretly hoped Kari would let him continue. After all, he really intended this as an opening to the conversation, however the song itself, Artist, by vistlip, was an ending. Zexal's fourth, actually.<p>

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><p><em>I'll declare it right here<em>

_(They must be felt with the heart.)_

_As long as I live, I'll always be your little, little ally_

_Please, listen carefully_

_(They must be felt with the heart.)_

_Even if you are crouching in a street corner,_

_I'll make sure this song reaches you_

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><p>Astral was impressed when Kari chimed in with the harmonies; she had obviously heard this song before, and also understood what Astral was trying to do. After all, she was starting to fully understand the lyrics' connection to the conversation. Astral held Kari's hand as he let her sing the next verse.<p>

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><p><em>"I hope I can advance on this road on my own way."<em>

_That's my goal, no matter how many obstacles pushed me behind_

_And thus, I'm now making my voice resound,_

_As I've got the privilege of being able to encourage your heart_

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><p>"Why did you let me sing that verse?" Kari questioned. "I wanted you to sing. I wanted to hear you sing." "Well, I guess we could continue…" Astral cut Kari off before she finished. "Later. Now shall we begin the conversation?" "Yeah. Sure, okay." Kari didn't want to admit that she really hoped the only one talking would be Astral. She didn't want to discuss what was bothering her; she would only listen to Astral because she felt obligated to, she told herself.<p>

"Reason Number One" Astral began...

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><p><strong>How was that? What do you guys think the reasons will be? Do you think they'll help Kari? (I certainly hope they do, lol) Do you like that Astral was singing? Do you wanna seeread/hear him sing more? Review, please! **


	4. Reason One and Memories of Mirai

**Arigato, ChoukoLightSpirit, for the review on the last chapter! Sorry I couldn't get Astral to record a cover; he refused to come to the recording studio, LOL!**

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><p>Tori and Yuma sat in the living room. Together, of course. Somehow they got on the topic of Kari's recent… lack of passion. "Are you sure we should stay back from this, Tori? Maybe she'll tell us what's up!" The excitable brother of Miss Kari Tsukumo asked his girlfriend. Tori disagreed. "We should leave her alone if she doesn't want to be bothered, Yuma"<p>

Astral continued comforting Kari. " You're not _ever_ as bad as you may think. That may be writing, dueling, or even how you go through life. Everyone's unique. Special. Perfect in their own ways. Every soul is important in this world, or worlds, we live in." Kari buried her face in Astral's translucent chest, and he let her wipe her tears in his hoodie. "We _all_ have Chaos, we _all_ have our own light, dear. Do not fret, Kari. You are a great person, even if you think anything otherwise. "But what purpose do I have? What makes me _nearly _as good of a person as, for example, Yuma?" Kari held a trace of sadness in her voice, and Astral asked what was on her mind. The somewhat depressed Kari began to remember Mirai's conversation with her years previously. "Something that… t-that um… happened… when Mirai and Kazuma were… er… when they were here!"

_Mirai Tsukumo held her daughter's hand. "What's wrong, dear?" Kari was watching Yuma learn how to duel. "He's so much better at everything, Mom. What can I do?" "You can do lot's of things, Kari. Trust me, you're a talented girl." Kari hugged into Mirai, and the light brunette stroked her daughter's hair gently. "But do I have a purpose?" "Yes, Dear. You just need to find it" "What do you think my purpose is?" "Anything you want it to be and more"_

Kari told this story to Astral, the latter listening to every detail like it was the only thing he could do. Kari was grateful for this. "You haven't seen Mirai in a while, have you?" "No one ever told me where she went, Astral. She left one day. Kazuma and Mirai never came back. It… was like the end of the world. Mirai was the only one who _really_ understood me" Astral wiped Kari's tearful face, his gentle glowing softly illuminating the room. Kari's sobs were the only sound then for a while, excluding the slight hum of an unidentified device upstairs and the breathing of the two. Well, _maybe _the two. At least, the Astral Being _seemed_ to breathe in time with Kari's own rhythm of breath. After a while, the blue man spoke softly. "Astral World." Kari dared to look up at his distant golden and white eyes, hoping a glimmer of emotion would reveal why he said that. "Mirai is in Astral World. She's looking over you, I promise. She still loves you" "Astral World? That doesn't mean…" "No, dear Kari. She's still alive and well. I promise you... you'll see her again." And with this statement, Astral hugged Kari closer than before, releasing a fragile smile from the girl who held him tightly in return. Reason for Number… I mean, the second reason?" Astral smiled politely, receiving a smile from Kari...

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><p><strong>Okay, guys. I'd really like opinions on what should happen next! What do you think the other reasons are? Please review: The more reviews I get, the more caramel I'll give Hart! Enjoy!<strong>


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